This summer, the Missouri College Advising Corps (MCAC) will be opening the College Connections Center (C3) at the MCC-Penn Valley campus. C3 is a no-cost service for Kansas City metro area students transitioning from high school to college.

When most high school students graduate, they have every intention of attending college. But something happens between spring graduation and fall enrollment that causes them to postpone or discontinue their education altogether. This phenomenon, called “summer melt,” can affect up to 40% of high school graduates. Most often, financial reasons cause students to rethink their college decision.

C3 workers will help students and their families overcome these barriers to ensure they reach their postsecondary plans such as financial aid, enrollment assistance, social support, summer transition and enrichment programs and other pre-enrollment issues. C3 will provide opportunities for students to meet with experienced guidance counselors and college access coaches, financial aid officers from area colleges and universities, and representatives of colleges and universities most commonly attended by KC metro students.

C3 will be open June 2-Aug. 1. Hours of operation will be:

Mon-Fri, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Wed, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5–7 p.m.

Sat, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

C3 needs MCC’s support

Awareness – Please help spread the word that this service is available to students in the KC metro area, including Kansas residents.

Volunteers – If you are interested in volunteering at C3, please contact Victor Bradford, College Transition and Retention Coach, bradfordvi@missouri.edu. All volunteers will be required to attend a 5-hour Orientation session either Tuesday, May 27 from noon-5 pm or Wednesday, May 28 from 8 am-1 pm at the Penn Valley Education Center, room 19.

Materials – If you have any print material or resources such as view books, housing brochures, admission criteria, summer orientation, summer enrichment programs, scholarship information, parent resource guides, etc. that could be displayed at C3 for students intending to enroll in the fall, please send information to 45 Jesse Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia MO 65211.

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About MCAC

MCAC is a part of the National College Advising Corps, an organization that seeks to bring talented, enthusiastic college advisers to every community that wants them and to every student who needs them. Through a nationwide consortium of colleges and universities, the corps aims to increase the number of low-income, first-generation-college, and underrepresented students entering and completing higher education. By placing recent graduates of partner institutions as college advisers in high schools, our programs work in communities across the country to provide the advising and encouragement that students need to navigate college admissions.